Banjo construction



Aug. 31, 1965 E. e. SIMON BANJO CONSTRUCTION '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 23, 1963 INVENTOR. 0 Wl/V 6. 5/410 ATTORNEY 31, 1965' E. s. SIMON 3,203,296

BANJO CONSTRUCTION Filed D90. 25, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f 111 w Full @mmmn 4 INVENTOR.

EDW/IV 6. S/MO/V BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,203,296 BANJO CONSTRUCTION Edwin G. Simon, 1117 Ocean Ave., San Francisco, Calif. Filed Dec. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 332,750 2 Claims. (Cl. 84269) This invention relates to a banjo construction.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a banjo construction which will produce better overtones, richer sounds, a lighter body and easier handling and tuning.

Particularly it is an object of the invention to provide a banjo in which the pegs are arranged on the right hand side of an offset neck in compensating position for the respective lengths of the strings, so that the highest tone string is the shortest and the other strings are graduated in length accordingly; also to provide such a banjo with a resonator suspended in such manner under the body of the banjo as to produce a resonance of richer sounds and vibrations; another feature is the provision of an advantageous structure for mounting the parts together.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following specification, and as defined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts as described in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the banjo, the neck being broken away in the middle.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the banjo with the middle portion of the neck broken away.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the banjo, the section being taken on lines 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a development view of the parts of the banjo body.

The invention herein is illustrated on a plectrum banjo, but the features herein can be incorporated in tenor banjos or five string banjos as well as plectrum banjos.

In carrying out the invention on one end of the handle or elongated neck 1 is a banjo body 2. On the other end of the neck 1 is a head 3 offset to one side and provided with a series of pegs 4 of the usual type arranged so that the highest tone string 6 is on the peg 4 nearest to the body 2 and thus is the shortest. The other three strings 7 are gradually longer in order and are wound upon the respective pegs 4 of the series for respectively graduated length. The particular offsetting of the head 3 so that it slants away from the highest tone string, namely to the right of the player holding the banjo in playing position, permits the arrangement of the pegs 4 in a suitably spaced slanting position for the arrangement of the respective strings in the aforedescribed manner.

The body 2 of the banjo includes a circular metal frame 8. A light, preferably aluminum box 9, is hollow and fits within the ring frame 8. The banjo box 9 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced bosses 11 thereon. Each boss 11 has a hole therethrough generally at right angles to the ice ring frame 8 and accommodates the shaft 12 of a hook 13, which latter hooks into a suitable recess 14 in the ring frame 8. A tightening nut 16 on the free end of the hook shaft 12 is tightened against the boss or lug 11 so as to tightly clinch the banjo box to the ring frame 8 in a balanced position. The box also has a plurality of spaced tapered locating ribs 17.

A wood resonator 18 is suspended on the ribs 17. The resonator 18 has a cylindrical side 19, the inner periphery of which is tapered so that the side wall 19 is thickest near the resonator bottom 21. Irrespective of what kind of wood the side wall 19 is made, it is preferable that the bottom 21 of the resonator be made of spruce because in experience this wood was found to give the richest sound.

The outer tapers of the ribs 17 correspond to the inner tapers of the side 19 of the wood. resonator so that the wood resonator can be pressed tightly upon the ribs 17 and thus maintained spaced from the outer periphery of the banjo box 9. A plurality of suitable set screws 22 extend through the side wall 19 of the wood resonator and are threaded into the respective ribs 17 so as to fixedly assemble the banjo unit.

In the manipulation or playing of this banjo it is found that the lightness of the banjo body renders the playing less tiresome and improves the facility of handling; the arrangement of the pegs 4 with regard to the strings 6 and 7 in accordance with their respective pitch greatly facilitates the tuning of the banjo, as well as it results in unusually pleasant overtones, better than the usual banjos; the suspension of the wooden resonator on the light metal body with the spruce bottom freely spaced from the adjacent edge of the banjo box results in rich resonance and sound because of its comparatively free vibration. The structure of the banjo is simple. Its parts can be easily assembled in predetermined positions and secured together and the entire combination is eminently adapted to produce the advantages heretofore described.

I claim:

1. In a banjo construction,

(a) a banjo body including,

(b) a ring frame,

(c) a hollow banjo box fitting into the ring frame,

(d) a plurality of circumferentially spaced bosses projecting radially outwardly from the outer periphery of the banjo box,

(e) means engaging the ring frame and secured to said bosses respectively for tightly clinching the banjo box to the ring frame,

(f) a plurality of circumferentially spaced locating ribs projecting radially outwardly from the outer periphery of said banjo box,

(g) the outer face of each locating rib being tapered away from said ring so that the wider end of each rib is nearest to said ring,

(h) a cylindrical wooden resonator wall,

(i) a freely vibratable resonator bottom made of a panel of soft wood and secured only at its periphery to said cylindrical resonator wall,

(j) the inner periphery of said resonator wall being tapered so that it is thickest near the resonator bottom and fits over the tapered outer faces of said locating ribs thereby to locate said resonator bottom in a predetermined relation spaced from said banjo box and to space said resonator wall from said banjo box,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 443,159 12/90 Bradbury 84269 10 Nelson 84269 Lange 84271 Gretsch 84269 X Franic 84269 Stathopoulo 84269 Lange 84269 Lange 84270 LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A BANJO CONSTRUCTION, (A) A BANJO BODY INCLUDING, (B) A RING FRAME, (C) A HOLLOW BANJO BOX FITTING INTO THE RING FRAME, (D) A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED BOSSES PROJECTING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE BANJO BOX, (E) MEANS ENGAGING THE RING FRAME AND SECURED TO SAID BOSSES RESPECTIVELY FOR TIGHTLY CLINCHING THE BANJO BOX TO THE RING FRAME, (F) A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED LOCATING RIBS PROJECTING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID BANJO BOX, (G) THE OUTER FACE OF EACH LOCATING RIB BEING TAPERED AWAY FROM SAID RING SO THA T THE WIDER END OF EACH RIB IS NEAREST TO SAID RING, (H) A CYLINDRICAL WOODEN RESONATOR WALL, (I) A FREELY VIBRATABLE RESONATOR BOTTOM MADE OF A PANEL OF SOFT WOOD AND SECURED ONLY AT ITS PERIPHERY TO SAID CYLINDRICAL RESONATOR WALL, (J) THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID RESONATOR WALL BEING TAPERED SO THAT IT IS THICKEST NEAR THE RESONATOR BOTTOM AND FITS OVER THE TAPERED OUTER FACES OF SAID LOCATING RIBS THEREBY TO LOCATE SAID RESONATOR BOTTOM IN A PREDETERMINED RELATION SPACED FROM SAID BANJO BOX AND TO SPACE SAID RESONATOR WALL FROM SAID BANJO BOX, (K) AND DETACHABLE MEANS TO SECURE SAID RESONATOR WALL TO SAID LOCATING RIBS RESPECTIVELY IN SAID PREDETERMINED SPACED POSITION. 